This Thanksgiving, Westfield Valencia Town Center shoppers were the first customers to step inside the Japanese retailer Miniso, the first in the Santa Clarita Valley.
Still, more “firsts” are underway, mall officials said Tuesday.
In addition to Miniso opening, visitors can expect to see green juice company Pressed Juicery and soft-serve ice cream shop Honeymee locations in early 2019, as well as the expansion of House of Bounce.
“We want to bring first-to-market brands to the property and offer something that is not otherwise available in the Santa Clarita Valley,” said Corrine Barchanowicz, mall senior general manager. “We don’t want people to go over the valley. We want to be people’s first-choice destination.”
This comes after Pandora and Journey’s Kids openings and the announcement of $20 million in design and decoration renovations.
The addition of these locations has shown much success since, particularly evident with Miniso.
Store Manager Diamond Jones said the Japan-based store was among the top five with most sales on Black Friday, its second day in operation.
Miniso, with the next closest location in Los Angeles, is known for its “intelligent consumer products” on anything from household items to cosmetics and toys priced at levels as low as $1.99.
With a philosophy of “simplicity, nature and good quality,” customers are greeted with an open space and minimalistic setup. The company was established in 2013 and operates more than 3,000 stores across the world.
“I hadn’t heard of it before but it’s really cute,” said resident Laura Zamora, who stopped by Tuesday.
Jones said she was surprised to hear a significant number of shoppers during Black Friday weekend who were looking for a closer Miniso.
“I spoke with many who said they would travel to Hollywood or Arcadia,” she said. “We have a mixture of first-timers and many more who have been anticipated Miniso here.”
The strategy behind bringing the Japan-based store to the Valencia mall was to serve customers in the market, regardless of how far they may come from, said Barchanowicz.
“We want to be that lifestyle destination,” said Barchanowicz. “It’s a mix of shopping, dining and entertainment and we are certainly growing in all those categories.”
